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Campbell pledges U-pass expansion in campaign platform

The B.C. Liberals plan to extend a popular inexpensive transit pass toall post-secondary students by the start of the 2010 school year, thepremier announced on Wednesday as he rolled out his party’s electionplatform in Vancouver.

The B.C. Liberals plan to extend a popular inexpensive transit pass to all post-secondary students by the start of the 2010 school year, the premier announced on Wednesday as he rolled out his party’s election platform in Vancouver.

“Our plan ensures that all students, no matter where they are attending college or university, have easy and affordable access to transit,” said Gordon Campbell during a rally Wednesday at VanDusen Botanical Gardens.

Students at large universities pay lower rates for their universal transit pass (U-pass) than students at smaller institutions.

Campbell’s plan would mean that students would pay the same rate, regardless of the size of school.

It was launched online Wednesday at bcliberals.com and features more than 130 videos of MLAs and ministers speaking about their goals and accomplishments.

Among the many promises is a pledge to further reduce small business taxes until they are the lowest in Canada by 2012 and working with the federal government to extend employment insurance benefits to unemployed workers who exhaust their benefits.

The Liberals also plan to pursue the possibility of developing the Site C dam in Northeastern B.C. and to develop a new law school at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, as well as a new medical school in Kelowna.